ISC Daily News Summary

Labour's plans to add VAT to independent school fees will force thousands of children to leave fee-paying schools and deny them “precious” opportunities to learn, Shaun Fenton, headmaster of Reigate Grammar School, has said. Speaking to The Telegraph, Mr Fenton, who is headteacher at the independent school once attended by Sir Keir Starmer, said: “I think Sir Keir knows that taxing the seven per cent of children who attend independent schools won’t fund an ambitious education reform programme." By James Fitzgerald.

In a separate article, The Telegraph explores what the Labour Party's tax plans could mean in practice. An interactive tool, featuring numerous schools in membership of the Independent Schools Council's (ISC) constituent associations, is provided to help readers calculate the possible effect on fees. The paper also asks whether Labour's sums add up, and what Labour propose to do with the money. By Dominic Penna.

This month's issue of Independent Schools Magazine features an article by educationalist Andrew McEwen. Mr McEwen warns that there would be "numerous pitfalls in implementing a policy to have VAT added to independent school fees and much that the independent sector could do to mitigate any net financial impact".

All pupils would have to study creative arts or sport until they are 16 under a Labour government, Sir Keir Starmer said yesterday in a flagship speech on education. Announcing plans to shake up the national curriculum to focus more on creative subjects to teach the skills needed to capitalise on modern technology, the Labour leader said he believes artificial intelligence (AI) makes learning code pointless. By Chris Smyth, Henry Zeffman and Laurence Sleator, The Times.

Writing exclusively for Tes, shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson argues that education needs critical changes if every child is to have an equal opportunity to succeed.

Former Labour MP Tom Harris writes in The Telegraph in light of Sir Keir's plans for education reform. Mr Harris warns: "Beware of aspiring politicians seeking to win votes by upending something as complex and delicate as a country’s education system."

In a letter published in The Times, former independent school headteacher Mark Steed supports Sir Keir in emphasising the importance of oracy in the school curriculum, which he says is going to be "all the more important" amid the widespread availability of natural language AI models.

Teaching members of the National Education Union (NEU) are striking today, the second time this week, in a long-running dispute over pay. Ministers are being warned that the disruption could heighten in the autumn term unless there agreement is reached on teachers’ salaries. By Seren Hughes, The Times.

Daniel Jillings, a deaf teenager who has been campaigning for a GCSE in British Sign Language (BSL) since he was 12 years old, has said the qualification would be "a step towards equality". Last month, the Department for Education (DfE) announced a 12-week consultation for a GCSE in BSL. By Rachael McMenemy, BBC News.